Haviiki Nui Va'a Final leg

This leg is 57 kilometers. They started in Patio Tahaa... we see them here after about 6 K. Officials keep us away from the fray... while the helicopters beam live footage to the rest of the world.

Many people followed the rest of the way

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A casual driver...

03 November 2016 | Raiatea Lagoon, French Polynesia

Bill, Photo Lara

Now, we take off in the morning with 25knots on the beam. Lara and I are otherwise occupied, so Isobel takes the helm and can now casually steer to a point on the horizon. We have made the trip enough times that she knows the landmarks and even comments when she can't find the next green mark...

We feel it is good to give her responsibility... and she takes it on seriously... even if a bit casually...

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The Home Team

02 November 2016 | Apooiti, Raiatea, French Polynesia

Bill, Photo Lara

When we returned to Apooiti, here was the boat from the town team. This guy was in charge of getting it ready for the next day when the women would race...

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The relief team

02 November 2016 | Uturoa, Raiatea, French Polynesia

Bill, Photo Lara

It looks like they have just hopped in a Lotus just off the race track...

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The finish!

02 November 2016

We couldn't get a good photo of the finish. These guys had been paddling in the ocean since 6 am. It's 11:30. As soon as they cross the line... well, as soon as thier bow crosses the line, they slump over on their paddles... With 8 knots of boat speed, their sleek boats glide quickly out of the way. Often they flop out of their boats and are retrieved by their team boat. Relief paddlers take the boat to shore...

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Havaiiki Nui Va'a 2016

02 November 2016 | Uturoa, Raiatea French Polynesia

Bill, Photo Lara

We were planning on sailing to Tahaa to see them pass us during the final leg. So we went to Uturoa to provision for a few days out... Champion Market had the race playing on a TV in the store... When we were done with our shopping, we dumped our groceries in the dinghy and raced to the Quai to see them come by... then jumped in the dinghy to follow the mehem!

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Shark!!

30 October 2016 | Pass at the NE corner of Raiatea, French Polynesia.

Bill

Now this is our kind of dive. (Did I say that, without as much teaching to do, Lara and I have some time to do some other things...)

In the pass coming into Uturoa, when the curernt is in, the visability is 100'+ and there are lots of fish... of all sizes. I had forgotten the cord for the flash, so thus everything is blue... maybe a good effect. Can you tell this is a Black tipped Reef Shark... this is the common shark here, so common in fact, it doesn't even evoke a widening of Lara's eyes. Yes, really! We also saw lots of Tuna...

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A School hike

18 October 2016 | Apooiti, Raiatea, French Polynesia

Bill

As part of an effort to encourage kids to get more exercise... there was a hike from École Apooiti today. I was asked to be a chaperone... The other chaperones complained that the kids hiked too fast... At the top we had a bunch of fruit and explored around a bit before descending...

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On the way to school

17 October 2016 | SW corner of Tahaa

Bill

So, we couldn't bring our selves to leave Sunday, so we arose at 5 am and we were underway soon so we could have Isobel at school at 7:45.

Does she have any idea how funny it is to make faces about brushing her hair in the morning... when she is in a place like this?

The only problem... there was not a breath of wind, so we had to motor back the Marina Apooiti. Ah well, used about 2 1/4 gallons of fuel for a weekend out...

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A weekend off

15 October 2016 | SW corner of Tahaa

Bill

We are now like most of the western world with weekends off now... we left the marina for a couple days at our favorite anchorage off the west side of Tahaa. Isobel has a second breakfast as we ghost along under the Code Zero poled out... across the flat water.

Yes, that is Bora Bora in the distance... seems clear today even though it is 9 miles away.

We have noticed that the colors are even more brilliant with the sun now almost straight overhead. Can you see the line of light blue water? Those are the sand shallows inside the reef.